Improvement in water-closets for railroad-cars



C. W. BRWN 8L L. H. LATIMER. Water-Closets for Railroad-Gars.

Patented Feb. 10,1874.

No.l47,363.

(is. d

ffy?.

" mnesses- AM. lli/070i ITHUGHAI'HIL Ca M Wasson/.fris mams;

cHAnLnS w. nnowiv, or SALEM, AND Lnwrs H. Larinnn, or sonnnviLLn, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-CLOSETS FOR RAlLRQAD-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l, dated February 10, 18,74; appCiOIl ltd January 14, 1874.

To all whom it may concern# Beit known that we, CHARLES W. BnowN, ot' Salem, in the county of Essex, and LEWIS ll. LATIMER, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex, all in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Water- (llosets for Railway Passenger-Cars; and we do hereby declare that the following', taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of our invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

In the construction of water-closets for railway p assen ger-cars it is customary to make the hopper with an open bottom, and without any l pan beneath. For this reason the apparatus,

although cleanly so far as relates to the adherence of excrementious matter, is neither agreeable to use nor wholly sate, the draft through the hopper being always excessive, while the annoyance from dust, cindcrs, and other matters thrown up from the track is so great as to forbid or discourage the use of the a paratns except under extreme circumstances. Our invention has reference to such a construction of a water-closet apparatus for railwaycars as shall obviate the objections to the use o1' such closets as they are now built or applied. In our invention, we apply to the hopper a pivoted bottom, that is automatically closed by the raising ofthe seat-cover, and automatically opened by the closing of the said cover, this bottom being, prete 1ably, pivoted at its center, and so as to be rot-ated onc'hundred and eighty degrees at each opening or'closing movement of the seat-cover, in which case the bottom is always closed, whether the seat-cover is in a raised position or closed position, it being turned bottom up by the raising of the seatcover. XVe also prefer to construct the apparatus with an earth-closet mechanism, by which a supply of dry earth, sand, or equivalent material is lodged upon the bottom or receiving and discharging plate whenever the seat-cover is raised, and before the apparatus is used.

Our invention consists, primarily,in a railwaycar water-closet apparatus, in which the hopper is provided with a pivoted bottom or bottomplate that is always automatically brought to position to close the end of the hopper and receive the excrement when the seat-cover is raised, and is automatically thrown open by the closing of the seat-cover.

The drawing represents an apparatus einA bodying the invention.

Figure l shows the apparatus in sectional elevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the bot tom of the hopper.

a denotes the floor of the car; I), the hopper; c, the seat, and d the seat-cover. Under the hopper, and'closing its end, is seen the bottom or receiving and discharging plate j'. plate is hung on its center, as seen at y g, and in such manner that one edge laps under one side of the ho1')pertnbe, as seen at l1, while the opposite edge (seen at fi) is in position to turn up into the tube. On one of the gudgeons y is a pinion, 7.', into which meshes the teeth of a gear-bar, l, which bar, at its upper end, is jointed to an arm projecting from the rear edge ot the seat-cover d, as seen at m, the seat-cover being hinged at n, and the arm extending beyond the hinge, and turning down, as seen by the dotted lines, when the seat-cover is turned up. rllhe turning down of the arm when the seat-cover is raised forces down the gear-bar l, which is guided by a bearing, o, causing the bar to turn the pinion 7.', thereby reversing the position of the plate f. Leading into the upper part of the hopper is seen the spout p of an earth-reservoir, q, and in the spout are two valves, i' s, jointed to a lever, t, one arm et which lever, by a link, u, is connected to the seatcover, the valves and their method of operation being t-he same as in many earth-closets.

Each valve slides under, or rests upon, a valveseat, and has a suitable passage, connecting, at proper time, with a correspondingpassage through its valve-seat, and the movements imparted to the respective valves are such that at each time the seat-cover is shut down the lower valve is closed and the upper one opened, thereby letting the earth from the reservoir q down through the upper valve, to lodge upon the lower one 5 while, when the seat is raised, the upper valve is closed, to stop the supply from the reservoir, and the lower one isopened, to let the earth lodged upon the FFICE.,

This

valve or Valve-seat down through the spout into the hopper, and down upon the receiverplatef,the connections bein g'such that the earth does not fall to the plate until the latter reaches a position to retain it. ben the scat-cover has been thus raised, and the apparatus has been used, the excrenient will lodge upon the earth-covered receiving-plate; and, when the seat-cover is closed, the plate is reversed in position, discharging the earth and excrelnent, and closing the licpper-tube, the earth preventing anv adhesion ot' the exercment, and caus- 'ing the apparatus to be kept entirely t'reefrom foulness.

The plate j" maybe operated by a, hand-pull, but not with so good results as when. connected to and operated by the seat, as described.

Although modifications may be made, as We have generally described, the construction and arrangement substantialltxv as shown is pre t'errcd.

The upper valve may be made with an orifice that will let the earth drop through from the reservoir into the hopper Wh en the apparatus is in use, to insure the covering ot' the exerement as it falls.

vXVe claiml. lThe closing, receiving, and discharging` platef, hung,1 centrally, as described, in combination with the hopper b, and operated ,by the seat-cover d, gear-bar, and pinion, substantiallr as shown and described.

2. In combination with the plate f, the earthreservoir and its valves, operated, in connection with the plate, substantiallyT as shown and described:

In combination with the hopper b, thereversible plate f, arranged to operate substantially as described.

CHARLES VARREN BROWN. LEWIS HOW/ARD LATIMEP.

Witnesses Farmers GoULn, M. W. -lFnoTmNc-nmr. 

